Means for attaching an artificial tooth to a bridge.



H.D. MORGAN. MEANS FOR ATTAOHING AN ARTIFICIAL TOOTH TO A BRIDGE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 7, 1914.

m/mvm ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 29, 1914.

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HU'GH MORGAN, 0F YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO.

MEANS FOR ATTAGHING AN ARTIFICIAL TOGTH TO ABBIDGE.

To all "ta/mm it may concern:

Be it known that I, HUGH D. MORGAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Youngstown, in the county of Mahoning, State of Ohio, have invented a new and Improved Means for Attaching an Artificial Tooth to a Bridge, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to means for attaching an artificial tooth to a bridge and it has for its object to providesuch a means which may be employed without removing the bridge from the mouth of the patient.

In the practice of dentistry, in cases where one or more teeth have been removed from the mouth, it is the practice to fill in the space with a metal bridge, to the outer face of which has been attached one or more artificial teeth or facings, these artificial teeth being often held in place on the bridge by pins which are attached to the teeth in the process of manufacture, the ends of the pins being cast in the bridge, and the bridge being attached to crowns fitted to the solid teeth on either side of the space. The artificial teeth or facings thus attached frequently work loose and come off, and it is often advisable to remove the bridge from the mouth of the patient in order to replace the teeth which is done by drilling clear through the bridge to suit the pins and soldering the pins to the bridge. This process causes considerable delay and discomfort to the patient, as well as damage to the bridge.

With my invention it is possible to replace the teeth or facings which have become dctached from the metal bridge without damage to the bridge and without removing same from the mouth.

In applying my invention the bridge is drilled with holes on its outer surface to approximately match the pins on the new other half of the hole, the two plugs having inner channels which form a hole, the inner terminal of which is disposed at an angle to the entrance which is perpendicular to the face of the bridge.

Specification of Letters Patent. Pg fbgnted Dec. 29 1914. Application filed April '7, 191%.

Serial No. 830,155.

The plugs have corrugations at their outer sides which corrugations are longer than required in order that they may be ground oif to allow for fitting the plugs to the hole so that the inner hole in the plugs will exactly match with the pins on the tooth when the tooth or facing is located properly in relation to the bridge and the remaining facings on either side of the space to be filled, thus allowing adjustment of the facing to the bridge. The plugs are then cemented into place and the facing pressed into place; the pins, entering the holes in the plugs, are bent to conform to the angle of the hole thus securely locking the plugs and facing in place on the bridge.

Additional objects of my invention will appear in the following specifications in which the preferred form of my invention is described.

In the drawings similar reference cases refer to similar parts in all the views, of which- Figure 1 shows a fragment of a bridge with the caps inserted in holes drilled in the bridge; Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing how an artificial tooth or facing is secured to a bridge by my improvement; Fig. 3 is a view showing the facing or artificial tooth provided with the pins; Fig. 4 is a side elevation of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a view showing a fragment of a bridge drilled, but not undercut; Fig. 6 is a sectional side elevation of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a view similar to that shown in Fig. 5 but with the hole in the bridge undercut; Fig. 8 is a sectional View of Fig. 7 Fig. 9 is a view showing a fragment of the bridge and corresponding with that shown in Fig. 7 but with a cap inserted at the top of the drilled hole; Fig. 10 is a sectional view of Fig. 9; Fig. 11 is a View similar to that of F ig. 9 but with the companion cap inserted at the top of the hole in the bridge; Fig. 12 is a sectional view of Fig. 11 Figs. 13, 14 and 15 are views showing one of the caps; and Figs. 16, 17 and 18 are views showing the other cap. hen a tooth has become loosened from the bridge 25, two holes 26 are drilled in the bridge. After these holes have been drilled they are undercut at 27. The position of these holes 26 is determined by suitable means to fit the pins on the new tooth 01" facing which is to be secured to the bridge.

After the holes have been drilled and have been undercut in the bridge 25, half plugs 28 are inserted in the holes. These half plugs 28 have offset portions 29 for fitting the undercut portion27 in each of the holes 26, the inner side of the half plu 28 having a channel 30 which at 31 is disposed in the general direction of the oifset portion 29 and substantially parallel therewith. The outer side of the half plug 28 has longitudinally extending corrugations 32 which may be ground off as may be necessary when fitting the half plug 28 in one of the holes 26in the bridge 25. After the half plug 28 has been fitted in the bottom of the hole 26 having the undercut portion 27, the half plug 33 is fitted into the remainder of the hole 26 by grinding its longitudinal corrugations 3% so that it will fit the said hole, the half plug 33 having a channel 35 which, with the channel 30 in the half plug 28, forms a longitudinally extending hole with its terminals disposed at an angle to each other, the terminal of the hole formed by the channels 30 and 35 at the inner end of the plugs extending inthegeneral direction of the ofl'set portion 29 as has been stated. The holes formedby the channels 30 and 35 are of substantially the same diameter as the pin on the artificial tooth or facing.

As shown in the drawings two holes 26 are preferably made in the bric ge A5 and two sets of half plugs are made use of, one set for each of the holes 26. The exact location of the plugs in the holes is determined by a gage which fits into the straight part of the holes in each pair of caps so that when the plugs are properly fitted into the hole in the bridge the distance from center to center of the holes is identical with the distance from the center to center of the pins in the tooth or facing.

After the plugs have been fitted in the holes 26 they are removed so that they may be secured permanently in the holes 26 with cement, the half plugs 28 being first cemented in'place, after which the half plugs 33 y are cemented in position. When the plugs 28 and 33 have been cemented in the bridge 25 the artificial tooth or facing 36, which is provided with pins 37, is coated with cement, after which the pins 37 on the artificial tooth or facing 36 are inserted in the holes formed by the channels 30 and 35 in the plugs 28 and 33, after which the artificial tooth or facingis pressed against the bridge 25, the pins being bent by the angular portions formed by the channels 80 and 35.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for Having thus described my invention, what Iclaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: i

i l. A bridge having a hole undercut at one side, a half plug having an offset portion for fitt ng the said side of the hole and the undercut, the half plug havingan inner channel with terminals at an angle to each other and-outer corrugations, another half plug for fitting the other side of the hole in the bridge and having an inner channel with terminals at an angle to each other and outer corrugations and a facing with a pindisposed in. the hole formed by the inner channelsin-the plugs.

i A bridge having a hole undercut at one side, a half plug having an offset portion for fitting thesaid side of the hole at the undercut, the half plug having an inner channel with terminals at angles to each other; another half plug for fitting the other side of the hole in the bridge and havingan inner channel with terminals at an angle to each other and a facing with. a pin disposed in the hole formed by the inner channels in the plugs.

3. A bridge having a hole, two half plugs for fitting the hole and having a channel with terminals disposed at an angle to each other and a facing with a pin disposed with the channel in the half plugs.

A half plug having an offset outer portion and an inner longitudinally extending channel with its terminals at an. angle to each other and a companion half plug for fitting the first half plug and having an inner channel at the channel of the first half plug and extending parallel therewith, forming a longitudinally extending hole with its terminals at an angle to each other.

5. A half plug having an offset outer portion and an inner longitudinally extending channel with its terminals at an angle to each other, and a companion half plug for fitting the first half plug and having an inner channel at the channel of the first half plug and extending parallel therewith, forming a longitudinally extending hole with its terminals at an angle to each other,

five cents each, by addressing-the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I1. 0. 

